Akashic Arcana Magic Power Standard - Ranks and Classification

[Aer Shiana]

As magic became more commonplace, those in the highest echelons of mage society deemed it necessary to create a system that allowed people to easily classify their magical abilities. While there are those that feel this system is needlessly limiting, a great many people find it a convenient way to compare themselves with their peers. It's by no means a perfect system, but it's held up rather well so far.

While the majority of mages peak at the A+ rank, it is possible for a human to reach into the higher levels through extensive training and hard work, as well as being exceptionally powerful when it comes to magic. Several world leaders, such as King Amhar Pendragon IX, Alexei Romanov II, and Amano Akishino are widely recognized as S-rank mages. There's no hard evidence of any human reaching EX rank, it is believed that gods and legends, such as Odin, Merlin, and Ra, were EX-rank mages of their eras.

Supernatural creatures, like those hailing from the planes of Heaven and Hell, are often much more powerful in magic than humans are, though there are always exceptions to their generalization.

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Potency (How strong the spell is)​ Offensive Magic​ Defensive Magic​ Healing Magic​ Body Enhancement​ EX​ Enough power to bring about the end of the world​ Absolute invincibility with the capacity to protect a huge amount of land without fail​ Can bring the dead back to life​ Ascension from a mortal body into godhood​ S+​ Not just the city is obliterated, but a huge swath of land around it as well. There will be nothing left but dust and ashes​ Can defend up to an entire city and its neighboring areas, only S or EX-rank powers may create damage​ Able to bring multiple people back from the brink of death to full health​ You have become a demigod at this point​ S​ Able to level an entire city​ No damage is received from attacks below S rank spells, can protect a capital-sized city​ Able to bring someone back from the brink of death to full health​ Boosts are even further beyond what a human could possibly be capable of, rivalling the likes of otherworldly creatures​ S-​ Utterly annihilates over half of a city, no chance of surviving a direct hit​ A nearly indestructible personal barrier that can absorb any type of A-rank or lower attack, but drains mana per hit absorbed​ -​ Surpassed all possible human limitation, achieved superhuman levels​ A+​ Capable of destroying an entire section of a city and leaving very little left of a directly struck body​ A barrier with the capability to protect a considerable portion of a city from powerful bombardments and A-rank spells or lower​ Capable of healing several people at once of any fatal injuries​ -​ A​ Extensive property damage guaranteed; a good portion of a city block​ A one-man shield that can withstand most forms of ballistics and up to A-rank spells​ Capable of healing serious internal and external injuries that would be fatal​ Enhancement increases are equal to the very peak of human limits​ A-​ If this directly hits someone, there is a good chance they will die​ An A-rank barrier that eats up mana per attack endured​ -​ -​ B+​ Likely to kill a few people if hit head on and cause a fair bit of collateral damage​ A shield that is able to protect a city block from B-rank or lower magical attacks and destructive explosive assaults​ Multiple people can be cured of major external and minor internal wounds​ -​ B​ Capable of maiming or crippling a person struck by this​ A personal defense capable of protecting from artillery-level fire and B-rank spells and below​ Lacerations, broken bones, and minor organ damage can be mended​ Your physical and mental attributes have been doubled in effectiveness​ B-​ Like sticks and stones, this will break some bones, and cause other wounds like 3rd degree burns and deep lacerations​ A B-rank barrier that eats up mana per attack endured​ -​ -​ C+​ Possible to moderately bruise, burn, or slice several people at once​ A wider barrier able to protect several people from moderate sources of injuries​ Can heal moderate external injuries of a few people at once​ -​ C​ Moderate external injuries can result from this spell​ The standard for barriers, able to protect from small arms fire and C-rank spells and below​ Healing is limited to surface wounds​ Enhancements have increased your mind and body by at least half of what they’re capable of​ C-​ Able to cause small bruises, cuts, or burns, depending on the spell​ A C-rank barrier that eats up mana per attack endured​ -​ -​ D+​ Throwing a large stick would do more damage to your targets than this spell would​ A paper-thin barrier that may as well be made of paper mache. Can “protect” multiple people, maybe​ Able to barely heal two or three people at once, what an accomplishment​ The equivalent of going to the gym for a week for a New Year’s Resolution​ D​ Barely felt more than a tickle​ A small wooden shield would provide better protection​ The patient could possibly not be bleeding anymore, maybe​ Congratulations, you achieved a boost equal to a child’s physical strength​ D-​ So weak that your target pities you​ Few people could defend worse than you, this even uses up mana per hit​ Barely any better than a band-aid​ Gained the strength of a small puppy​ E​ Did anything even happen?​ You’d have better luck blocking a bullet with your chest.​ Can’t even heal a papercut.​ You may have actually lost what you were supposed to gain​ [TBODY] [/TBODY]

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

	Scale of Mana Required (Mana cost of spell)​	Processing Speed of Spell (Cast time of spell)​
EX​	Absolutely no mana used​	Instant cast, no movement or runes involved​
S+​	-​	Instant cast with no movement needed. Runes are created instantly​
S​	An extremely miniscule portion of mana needed​	Spells and runes are cast in conjunction with a body movement, no preparation, charge up, or cast time needed​
S-​	-​	-​
A+​	-​	No body movement needed, runes and spells take less than a second to cast​
A​	Very little drain, easily spammable​	A second or less of cast time for spells and runes, not including the still-needed bodily movements​
A-​	-​	-​
B+​	-​	Between one and two seconds of cast time, no extra movements required​
B​	Small mana cost, but care should be taken so as not to accidentally overuse​	Cast time is between one and two seconds for spells and runes, plus whatever movements are needed for the spell​
B-​	-​	Between two and three seconds of cast time​
C+​	-​	Takes three to four seconds to cast, but no movements are needed​
C​	Moderate mana cost, not to be taken lightly if used multiple times in a short period​	Approximately Three to four seconds of cast time​
C-​	-​	Five to about ten seconds of cast time​
D+​	This spell uses up a considerable chunk of your mana pool​	Somewhere between ten and twenty seconds to cast.​
D​	Very inefficient and taxing, you can use this spell maybe three times at the most before you’re spent​	At least twenty seconds, up to a whole minute, to cast. Likely asking to get mauled in the process​
D-​	Find a different spell to use, or risk emptying your entire mana pool just to use one spell​	Takes over one minute to cast, several if your spell is that complex or you just suck​
E​	Likely to kill yourself, the spell uses up so much mana​	The entire “Gone with the Wind” book could be read faster than this spell can be completed​

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Note: Areas marked with a " - " indicate the difference between ranks is either insignificant, or simply does not fit the format of the system. These ranks may still be used if it can be reasoned that a spell fits there.​